


Downfall

by jadore_macabre (goodworkperky)



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Loki Angst, M/M, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-04
Updated: 2014-01-06
Packaged: 2017-12-13 21:51:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/829268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodworkperky/pseuds/jadore_macabre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He did not believe when Thanos promised him torture if he should fail. He was too proud and thought himself strong enough for anything. The knowledge that this misery would finally end was simply beautiful." </p><p>Thor arrives at the Avengers' Tower with a severely injured Loki, pleading for help. Unintentionally, Tony becomes the only help Loki can get.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is on my ff account: j'adore macabre. I'm just posting on here too

The sound of boots striking the marble floor echoed off the walls like church bells. Odin looked up at the sound and saw his eldest son skid to a halt.

"You already know," Thor said accusingly as he stared at his father who sat heavily on his throne. "Loki is missing from his cell and yet you do nothing."

"There are things that even I cannot help," Odin replied wearily. He was slumped on his throne like the weight of his authority was too much to bear.

"Tell me where he is so that I may retrieve him."

The AllFather shook his head. "It is not so simple as that."

Thor took a step forward, clenching Mjolnir tightly in his hand. "Tell me," He demanded in a growl. "By Asgard's gates, Father, you could pretend he matters."

Odin was on his feet then, face twisted in a mask of rage. "Insolent boy," He thundered. "Your brother means as much to me as you do."

Thor's hand flexed, his body tight with rage. "Then help me find him."

Odin sat back down with a heavy sigh and held his head in his hands. "Leave now. Be thankful you have no children to hurt your heart."

Thor hefted his hammer, drawing comfort in its familiar weight. He cast one disappointed glare at his father before he left.

"No, I will not help." Sif said hotly.

Thor looked around to the rest of his friends who turned away under his stare. "I have never before been ashamed to call you all friends. Loki has fought beside us all in many battles, saved us on occasion."

"With his tricks," Fandral muttered. "What makes you so sure that he hasn't merely escaped?"

"My father speaks of some unknown danger," Thor replied. "He will not tell me anything more."

"All the more reason not to get involved." Sif crossed her arms over her chest. "Let him suffer the consequences of whatever mess he has gotten into now."

The blonde's face bore a scowl of disappointment and contempt. "If I had not said it before then I say it now: I am ashamed to call you friends."

With a low growl of rage, Thor brought Mjolnir down on one of his bed posts. Shards of wood flew across the massive room and skidded to a halt on the marble floor. Then he saw it glinting in the light that filtered through his window, the small charm in the shape of a wolf's head. It was attached to thin cord to fashion a necklace. Loki had given it to him when they were children, but he had outgrown it and left it beside his bed to remember the day when the glory of battle was all that was important. Thor held the charm tightly in his fist and lowered himself onto the floor, leaning against the bed for support.

"You once said there was magic in this," The god whispered, squeezing his eyes shut as he drew his knees to his chest. "Please, Loki, let that be but the one truth you've ever spoken and let me find you." He sent out a wordless prayer to everyone and no one, willing with everything he had for his brother's safe return.

In the middle of his silent plea for help, Thor felt exhaustion suddenly envelop him before the silence was pierced by a wailing scream, muffled only slightly by the thick oak doors. The god leapt to his feet just as Mjolnir flew to his hand, and he ran through the hall to where the cries were originating from.

He stopped in front of the throne room where a crowd had quickly begun to gather. As he pushed his way through, he heard Loki's name circle the crowd in a whisper.

"You, prepare the Healing Chamber," Odin's voice commanded, ringing off the gilded walls and high ceiling. "Wrap him in a blanket. Stand aside, I will take him myself."

"Father," Thor shouted to be heard over the screams, "what—"

At the bottom of the stairs leading up to the throne was a rail-thin Loki, writhing and thrashing on the unyielding floor. He was completely naked and every inch of him was covered in dried blood. As he went to the younger god, he was pushed out of the way by guards coming to wrap the fallen prince in a thick blanket. Odin ignored his eldest son and his questions, picking Loki up in his arms to carry him to the Healing Chamber.

"Father, what is happening?" Thor asked as Odin laid Loki down on the floor beside the healing bath.

The AllFather ignored him again, peeling back the blanket as Loki alternated between crying out and strangled moans. He looked up only when Heimdall entered, dragging a massive container filled with snow behind him. He dumped the contents into the normally steaming bath and they watched as a thin layer of ice immediately covered the water and crept up the edges.

"Father," Thor said sharply, "what can I do?"

Odin looked up as if really noticing him for the first time. "Remove your armor."

With a confused expression, Thor quickly did as he was told. Heimdall left as quietly as he came.

"Now, get in. You must hold him under until I say otherwise, but be careful you do not touch his bare skin above the water."

The blonde got into the water, breaking the thin film of ice, and immediately felt his body go numb. He lifted his brother, careful to use the blanket, and held him in the bath which came to his hips.

Loki was still screaming but neither Odin nor Thor could make him stop to even hold his breath. The screams were swallowed by the freezing water, rising up in large air bubbles for only a moment before they rose infrequently, the time between each growing longer with every passing second.

"Father," Thor said, his voice heavy with worry as the minutes ticked by, He could feel and see his brother writhing in his arms as he held him under.

"Wait." Odin watched the water intently.

Loki began to still and panic bloomed in the older brother's chest. He cried out to his father once again with more urgency.

The water around them began to bubble suddenly and filled the air with a hiss and sharp cracks. When all went still, Odin gave the hurried order for Thor to pull Loki up. Even though their father's voice held that same controlled calm, there was a hint of desperation and his eye gazed at his youngest son sadly.

When Loki came up, his mouth hung open, trying to determine whether to scream or gasp for air. He scrabbled for purchase on Thor's tunic with frenzied desperation and wretched violently. The blood seemed to slide from his body in one solid mass and sink to the bottom like a living thing. The younger god's eyes locked with Thor's for hardly a second, his eyes bloodshot and wild. He didn't really see any of them. Pained grunts escaped through clenched teeth but he was otherwise still, attempting to curl in as tight a ball as possible.

"He is still hurt, yet I see no injuries anywhere," Thor said as he handed his brother to Odin before pulling himself out. He took Loki from his father to hold him close just as the older god rose to his feet.

"You must leave immediately," Odin ordered. "I will send you back to Earth, and you will stay there until it is safe here."

"No, Father, how will they help Loki? Their medicines only go so far and he is still…a god."

"Find a way. I will strip you of your powers. Hopefully, it will be enough to disguise you. Should you have need of assistance, call and Heimdall will come." Odin laid a hand on both his sons.

Before Thor could protest again, a great blackness overwhelmed him and Loki. It seemed as though the floor fell from beneath him and they were falling quickly through an abyss. Thor clutched his brother close to his chest, pressed their foreheads together and closed his eyes.

"Holy crap," Steve cried as Tony yelled, "Holy shit."

There was a static tinge in the air accompanied by what could only be described as the smell of decay. The next second, Thor appeared before them with Loki in his arms, strangely reminiscent of the statue of Mary and Jesus. Except Loki was no savior.

The god looked up at the Avengers helplessly. "Please, friends, hel—"

Loki rolled out of his arms in that moment and doubled over on his knees as he made a horrific sound somewhere between gasping and choking. Loki clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles paled. He pressed his forehead on the floor, spit and tears mingling. Tony rushed to him to press his fingertips to the carotid artery, but before he could touch him, Loki sat bolt upright and an animalistic grunt started deep in the back of his throat. His fingernails raked against his throat so hard welts appeared and droplets of blood dotted the paled skin. Thor held his brother's hands fast to prevent him from doing any more damage. The brunet struggled like an animal caught in a trap. Suddenly, Loki vomited a thick rise of bile and blood that spread slowly on the polished floor.

"We have to get him to the Med Lab. Now." Tony whispered a curse that was quickly followed by a short silent prayer to a god he did not believe in.

"Wait," Thor ordered. He had realized that the charm he had held on to earlier was wrapped around his wrist. He snapped the thin cord and pressed it into Loki's palm, hoping that it was the reason he was brought back, and that just maybe, there was some magic left in it.

But Loki didn't heard Thor tell him to use it to heal himself. He didn't even feel the charm being pressed so tightly into his palm it left an impression. Loki did feel an all encompassing pain, like that of every bone shattering, every muscle torn and every cell burning with the heat of the sun. There was a deeper pain in his stomach that brought a mild sting in the back of his throat and in his lungs where he prayed every breath could be his last. But he was choking now, on bile and blood and spit. He could feel that there was no magic to keep him alive and he was so completely grateful that he could feel that glimmer of hope.

Without the faintest concept of setting, Loki could feel himself being dragged up, his bottom pressed against something firm as he was forced to bend double. Something hard, rough…fingers invaded his mouth against the bodily fluids that seemed stuck in his esophagus. Two callous pads pressed against his tongue, working their way to the back of his throat until he vomited again. Harder. So much harder, his spine hurt in a way it hadn't before. Loki felt as if his insides were collapsing in on themselves. It was suffocating.

"What that hell are you doing?" Steve watched with a slightly horrified expression as his friend stuck his fingers down the god's throat.

"What's the matter, Cap?" Tony replied absentmindedly, an arm wrapped firmly around the god's torso to steady him. "Never been to a frat party?" When Loki wretched harder, the billionaire removed his fingers and shook his hand, bile and blood splattering on the floor with a sickening smack. Tony shifted his grip to hook his arms under Loki's arms and dragged him with long ungainly strides to the elevator where the doors opened as soon as he drew close.

Loki's head lolled back on Tony's chest and he only saw searing bright lights. There was no other option in his mind that Thanos was still torturing him. Had it really only been two days? Two rotation of their planet and marked by the fading of light to dark. It felt like years.

"Banner," Tony cried into the speakers of the elevator.

There was a split second of silence then Bruce's voice floated in asking, "Why are you yelling?" And they could all see him in their mind's eye pausing from his files on biometrics to look up at the ceiling with a puzzled expression.

"I need you, Doc," Tony replied. His voice shook slightly and he adjusted the much taller man in his arms, shaking his head when Steve offered to take him. "Med wing. Immediately."

"Is…I'm on my way."

Thor had moved aside to let Tony take the reigns but, as they waited for the elevator to descend the tower, he placed a hand the side of his brother's face. His pained expression only deepened when Loki flinched violently, his breath stuttering after the violent bout of vomiting.

"Brother, can you hear me?" Thor pressed them charm into Loki's hand once again, this time keeping it closed with his own. "If there is any magic left in this then please heal yourself."

Loki's lips did move and he whispered in a language that neither Tony nor Steve understood. But Thor did and he fell to his knee with tears clinging to his lashes when he heard it, still holding on to his brother's hand. Tony kneeled as well, side by side with the god in the small space.

"Thor," Tony asked quietly. "What did he say?"

"He thinks he is dying. He begs for it." Thor clenched his teeth. "Had I the knowledge and the power to cast magic myself…"

Tony opened his mouth ask a question but the doors opened he was rushing to the med station, barely keeping up with Rogers' and Thor's long strides.

"Whoa whoa whoa." Banner cried as Tony deposited Loki on a bed. "What the hell is going on?"

"I need a full work up. Everything. MRI, CTs. I need blood, Doc."

"I'm feeling a bit like Frankenstein." Banner studied the injured god out the corner of his eye even as he got everything prepared. "What happened?"

Thor felt all eyes go to him and he shook his head only once. "I do not know. He went missing from his prison and returned only after I found his amulet."

"This thing?" Steve held up the necklace. "You guys dropped it in the elevator. It's been kind of…humming?"

"You can feel its magic?" Thor stared at Steve so intensely, the Avenger took a step back.

"I don't know about any magic. It's just buzzing…like one of those cell phones."

Thor dragged him by the scruff of his hoodie, amid sounds of protest, closer to Loki. "You must try."

"He could be dead in a minute," Tony whispered. "Do something. Anything."

Steve looked warily at the god who had tried to rule the world, who devastated New York. But then he looked at Banner who, leaning over the bedside, gave a single nod that was both understanding and a gesture of the positive.

Steve nodded and gripped the amulet tightly with one hand, the other hesitantly touched Loki's shoulder.

"I don't…" Steve faltered, a sudden fear gripping him as he watched the god writhe beneath his hand, his breath slowing and blood dribbling from between his lips. "I don't know what to do."

"Shout Alacazam for all it matters." Tony growled as he took Loki's pulse and found it slow and erratic.

Captain shook his head. "That's not right. I can't…he needs to have it." The necklace was pressed once again into Loki's hand and this time he held on so tightly they could hear his knuckles crack.

Tony grabbed Loki head and shook him slightly. "Open your eyes, damn it." He ordered in a vicious snarl. "Loki, look at me."

Loki could hear a voice emanating from the red backdrop of his mind and a pressure on his head that made him flinch. He could not move his hands to fight and his body was like lead sinking into the long awaited peace of death.

"You are not dying. Not here." Tony took hold of the hand that held the amulet and gripped hard. "I know you can feel it, Reindeer Games."

Loki felt a pulsing sensation rising out of the pain. He focused on it, willing himself to locate it. But in the final instant, he gave up so completely. Loki surrendered himself to the end, aware that there was no Valhalla for him, no Elysium fields or pearly gates. It was ok though because there had to be an end to this, this pain that went beyond pain, this thing that was crawling inside his mind and tainting every thought. He hadn't believed before when Thanos promised him torture if he should fail. He was too proud and thought himself strong enough for anything. That this misery would end was simply beautiful.

"He's not breathing," Banner whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

"How'd you do it?" Tony held Thor on his feet when his knees seemed on the verge of giving way.

"What?" An expression of honest confusion was written across the god's face as he stared at the still form of his brother.

"You brought him back with that thing, right? How?"

Thor shook his head almost imperceptibly. "I held it in my hands and I thought…I willed Loki to come back."

"Do it again."

"I have no power and no knowledge of magic. I cannot."

Banner looked at Steve and said, "But you can. At the base, it's all Gamma Radiation."

Steve held up his hands. "I'm no Houdini. I'm a military man, Doctor, not a miracle worker."

"Energy." Tony snapped his fingers and pointed at Bruce. "It just needs a kickstart."

"Tony, what are you doing?" Banner asked warily as he watched his friend take the amulet and slip it beneath his shirt.

"Like jumpstarting a car." Sweat beaded the billionaire's forehead, and he leaned against the bed with an expression of concentration.

They all held their breath as the seconds dragged on agonizingly slow, but then Tony felt a sharp pain in his chest. For a split second, he believed that his Arc Reactor had somehow failed and the shrapnel had finally pierced his heart but that wasn't the right type of pain. It was a denser pain, burning really. Stark forced himself to exhale slowly and concentrated harder until the pain spread to his head, like pickaxes driving into the base of his skull.

The other Avengers watched Tony sway a little for a moment. Banner gripped his arm, prepared to tell him to stop because Loki isn't worth a dead Tony, but then the billionaire slumped over. The others cried out, calling his name as Banner caught him and lowered him gently to the floor. Thor and Steve crowded around him, staring with the same expression they had when he fell listless from the sky. It lasted only a few seconds before Stark's eyes flew open.

"What happened?" He slurred, looking up at the circle of faces and confused as to why exactly he was laying on Banner's lap.

"You fainted, Stark," Thor answered, helping him sit up.

"Did it work?" Stark held his head in his hands as the room spun wildly.

Banner laid a hand on the friend's shoulder. "Come one, I'll look you over, make sure you didn't hurt yourself."

"Did it work?" Tony asked again. His head was splitting and he had to clench his teeth against a wave of nausea.

Steve was the only one who glanced up to look at the hospital bed. The sight made him grimace and replied, "Actually, it did."

Loki was hunched over, grabbing fistfuls of his hair as blood sprang from wounds so clean they seemed to be made by an invisible scalpel and done in intricate patterns. His eyes were closed and his nostrils flared as he struggled to draw breath into his lungs. Thor jumped to his feet and ran to his brother, holding his hands slick with blood.

Loki's eyes snapped open revealing them to be black as the abyss they fell through to get here. He opened his mouth, grabbed the other god's tunic, and gave a shout so incredibly loud, the Avengers had to cover their ears. It was laden with frustration and a desolation so heartbreaking that Thor felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. And it kept coming. Loki kept crying out without pausing for breath until Thor felt his head might burst and dropped to his knees, bringing the younger god tumbling off the bed. His head hit the floor with a crack, yet carried on yelling out.

Tony had his hands clapped tightly over his ears. He looked over to see Steve with the heels of his hands pressed against his ears, eyes screwed shut in pain. Banner looked like he was barely keeping it together. The billionaire ran to Loki, one hand over an ear as he wrapped his free arm around the god's torso to drag him to the isolation chamber in the corner of the room. Tony punched the button in his haste and sealed him in, effectively muffling the sound to a bearable drone. He slid to the ground with a sigh of relief.

"What the hell was that?" Banner breathed as he slowly removed his hands and rose to his feet.

Thor rushed to the thick glass window of the isolation room. He watched with a mixture of anguish and worry as his brother dragged himself around the room, leaving a smearing blood trail on the pristine white floor.

"Doesn't he need to breathe?" Steve asked as he stared in amazement.

"Stark," Thor yelled with desperation evident in his voice. "You can control the weather in these rooms, yes?"

"Temperature, Point Break." Tony sighed and rubbed his face wearily, forgetting that his hand was bloody.

"Change it," The god ordered. "Make it as cold in there as you can."

"Excuse me?" Tony's eyes narrowed and he looked at Thor incredulously. "You want me to freeze your brother?"

"Yes."

For Loki, there was a sharp pain as an unseen knife cut deep into his flesh. Even as he felt the stinging pain drag him back, kicking and screaming, from the edge of oblivion, he could bear this pain with relative ease. But then he felt something unbearably hot enclose his hands. A cold fear seized his heart and mind, taking over his thoughts and actions. He opened his eyes and saw only shadows, like trying to see in the nighttime darkness. Loki remembered the meat hooks, the burning flesh and a pain so terrible it unraveled him. So, he cried out. In pain or warning, he didn't know.

The air became overwhelmingly hot, burning his lungs and searing his skin as if he had gotten too close to the sun. Loki tried to plead but words would not form and the cry would not end. But he felt himself falling and he expected another long fall into an oubliette to heal just enough before they dragged him back up on hooks for another round of torture. It wasn't. It was a short drop and a splitting pain in his head, followed by a pressure on his bare chest that felt like a branding iron. It soon disappeared and Loki wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, yet there was this piercing echo in his mind. The sound of his sanity beginning to shatter. He dragged himself along the mildly cool floor to ease the burning sensation of his skin. It was like applying a balm to raw flesh.

"How is this going to help?" Banner asked, looking to Thor for answers.

The god crossed his arms over his barrel chest, his brow furrowed as he watched and waited. "Your climate here on Earth is very warm by Asgardian standards. Loki is… he is not an Asgardian. He is a Jotun, a Frost Giant. He was able to tolerate it in his human form but something must have happened when Stark helped to revive him." He ran his thumb absentmindedly over the necklace Tony had given back to him.

"So," Steve said quietly, "he's a Jon…Jo…Frost Giant now? That's why his eyes…?" The Avengers circled a finger around his eyes for emphasis.

The god shook his head. "Jotun eyes are red. These wounds that have appeared are similar to theirs except that his skin should be blue. I don't know what this magic has done to my brother." He glanced down at the wolf's head necklace with a frown.

Tony leaned against the wall, sticking a finger in his ear to combat the ringing. "We'll just have to ask Loki about it. Magic is his thing and it sounds like he's quieting down."

True enough, Loki had reduced his cries to short groans of pain as he pulled himself up using the bed frame. He seemed to sense an audience and turned to bare his teeth at the group around his window, blood dripping down his face. He gave a low guttural growl like some perverse animal.

"I wonder…" Bruce hummed in thought. "Do you think he even knows what's going on? I mean, was he the same on Asgard as when you brought him here?"

"Yes. He has said nothing since he appeared."

"He probably still thinks he's in whatever hellhole he popped out of," Tony muttered.

"I would speak with him then." Thor went for the door, but a sudden thud on the window gave him pause. He looked back to see Loki pressed against the glass with his teeth still bared. He had his hands pressed on the window, leaving bloody handprints.

Stark motioned for Thor to stand beside him as he pressed the intercom button and whispered, "That's probably not best. You can talk to him from here for now."

Thor looked at the machine with unease but said his brother's name into the microphone. Loki looked up where the sound was emitting from the speakers and snarled before he pounded on the glass.

"Loki, enough." Thor held his own hand against the window. "You are in Stark's Tower. Safe. Can you recall nothing of the past few hours?"

The younger god growled, pounding against the glass as if trying to force words from his throat.

Tony moved between Thor and the intercom. "Hey, Reindeer Games, say something. At least nod if you understand."

Loki shook his head, hands balling into fists. "What…what did you do? What did you do?" He roared. He repeated the phrase again and again, and he unknowingly left blood smears on the glass so it nearly obscured their vision.

"Stop before you hurt yourself even more," Tony ordered firmly and surprisingly Loki did as he was told. An idea came to the billionaire. "Look at me."

The god looked up but it wasn't Tony he was staring at. Banner met Loki's gaze and waved his hand, wondering if he would react. The god's gaze shifted slightly as if searching but there was no indication that he saw Banner's movements.

"Thor," Loki said quietly after a heavy pause.

"I'm here," His brother replied, his voice cracking slightly and his brow furrowed with sorrow.

"If you ever loved me, ever truly believe me to be your brother then you would kill me now."

Thor paused a beat, closing his eyes in despair. "You know I could not."

Loki slammed a fist against the glass. "He will come for me. His imagination is dark and endless, and I will not be used for his entertainment."

"Whoa, ok, who the hell is he?" Tony asked.

Loki closed his eyes, nostrils flaring and jaw working as he quietly seethed with anger. "Thanos," He replied. Loki looked up again, his eyes searching despite his near blindness. "Thor," He called his brother's name pleadingly.

"Hey, no one's killing anyone and no one's taking anyone anywhere," Tony answered when he saw Thor swallow thickly. He sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, you're hurt. Let us come in and help."

Loki sneered and slammed his open palms against the pane. "You are a fool, Stark, for keeping me alive. When he comes –and he will- I pray you do not attempt to play the hero."

"Why's that?" Tony's voice was louder, less tainted by machinery. He stood in the doorway, shivering in the zero degree temperature.

Loki turned to face him. "Because you will suffer greatly for it." He clenched his teeth at the minute rise in temperature.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone's following you anywhere. Odin was supposed to take you power away, make you and Thor human."

"This is not power." Loki sneered. "I asked you again: what have you done?"

"Brought you back to life?"

"There is no such thing."

"Ok, so technically you weren't dead yet but still pretty close." Tony watched Loki from the corner of his eye as he went to the med station in the corner of the room. The god turned to him, narrowing his eyes as he had the sound of drawers opening.

"What are you doing?" He asked warily.

"Helping you. Sit down so I can clean you up."

Loki shuffled to the bed and scowled. "It was you who worked magic. What did you do?"

"Are you part parrot? I just used the necklace thing Thor had."

"Give it to me."

"Why?"

"Because you should never have used it in the first place." Loki snarled. "I suppose I should be grateful all my organs are intact. That is not an experience I am willing to go through again." He held out his hand, waiting for Tony to drop the amulet in his palm.

"Here it is." Thor's deep voice cut through his brother's darkness as he dropped the amulet into his waiting hand. His fingertips accidentally brushed the younger god's palm, eliciting a hiss of pain.

"Is that like a Frost Giant thing?" Stark asked. "Being touched by normal people?"

"No, that's a 'mortals should not use Dark Magic' thing." Loki retorted. He whispered something that the others could not hear before he blew gently on the charm. It glowed for a moment with a dark blue light before it returned to normal. Loki closed his eyes, brow furrowed in a mixture of pain and concentration. After a moment he opened them and the black receded but the blood still flowed from his wounds.

"You couldn't, I don't know, heal yourself with it?" Tony asked.

Loki glared. "I apologize. If you think you can do more with it…" He tossed it at Tony but Thor caught it in midair.

The older god looked thoughtfully at his brother and took a step forward as he got to his feet. "You gave this to me when we were but children."

"I did."

"You used Dark Magic."

"I was young then and did not know its potential else I would have kept it."

"That is a lie. I recall now that you were ill for weeks after. You knew then that it had great power and even still you let me keep it. Why?"

"Because I wanted to keep you safe, you fool." Loki snapped in sudden frustration. "You bumbling oaf, always running into battles without thought. It was suppose to be a charm, nothing else. Something to keep you alive."

"And you thought I could kill you?" Thor snorted mirthlessly. "Brother, I believe I recall more of our childhood than you. Thanos is not coming, he will not take you. We will remain here on Earth for as long as need be."

"You are…sentimental. Return to Asgard and let whatever delusions you have left of me go."

Tony interrupted by clearing his throat and held up a large emergency kit. "So sorry to interrupt but you're still kind of bleeding all over my floor. If we can multitask, that would be great."

Loki locked eyes with his brother for a second before he turned his gaze to Tony. He straightened and nodded once. "I have no other choice, do I?"

"Do you mind if we take this elsewhere?" Tony bounced on his heels and shivered. "I lost feeling in my extremities about two minutes ago."

Thor helped his brother to his feet and whispered, "I will keep you safe."


	3. Chapter 3

"You're sweating." Thor hovered as Banner and Stark began cleaning his brother's wounds. Loki did not reply but stared blankly at the wall. Thor called his name a little louder, a little more sharply.

"Your worry is misplaced," Loki replied in a breath. He looked at the older god with eyes half-mast.

"I will place my worry where I feel it is needed most. Remember the medicines here are feeble compared to home."

Banner shot Thor a look. "Thanks, Thor." He turned to Loki. "We can turn the temperature down again. Steve and I run kind of warm anyway."

"No, I—" He flinched when Tony's finger brushed against his neck. Thor's eyes darkened and the other's did their best to pretend it did not happen. "I'm fine." He finished weakly.

Tony shook his head. "We're going to have to stitch some of these, they're too deep to leave open." He reached for a suture needle from the med cart, but before his hand even got close, Loki grabbed his wrist firmly.

Loki stared at the needle for a heavy second and looked up at Tony, not quite meeting his eye. "Not that. Bandage my wound if it eases your conscious but not that."

In the uneasy silence that followed, they heard the doors hiss open and Banner and Tony immediately exchanged a glace before giving a muttered curse. They turned to see Natasha and Clint with guns and arrows aimed at Loki. The god watched them from beneath his lashes, hands folded tentatively on his lap. As the others quickly began their explanations they unconsciously began to gather around Loki, shielding him from the path of the others' weapons. A sudden dizziness seized the god, his chest tightening in the little space he found himself in. Clenching his teeth against a wave of nausea, Loki found his vision tilt and a dull throb start behind his eyes. He reached out for the closest person.

Tony jumped a foot in the air at the loud rapport of Natasha's gun. A slight rush of air, like a soft breeze was on his ear then there came a dull thud on the floor behind him. The sound didn't register above the fact that a bullet just missed his ear.

A strained growl of frustration escaped Loki's throat as he looked up at the assassin's cold stare. He stared down the barrel of a gun with a hint of a plea.

"Do it, you idiotic glorified primate," Loki hissed.

The others turned to him, reflexes working as they held him just as he lunged for her.

"Get off," He screamed. "Get your hands off of me."

The loss of so much blood and his previous experience had already drained much of his energy, and he used the last of it to fight them off. But he collapsed as they let go, falling into Tony's waiting arms. The billionaire shifted him to a better position, blood seeping through the fabric of his shirt and feeling sickeningly warm on his chest.

"We need to get an IV in him," Banner said as he help Tony get the god back on the table.

With eyes barely open, Loki saw the needle the scientist held and he struggled to escape the ring of Avengers only to be stopped by Thor. Loki grabbed his brother's tunic and muttered, "No more. Please."

"Brother, calm yourself." Thor smoothed down sweat-dampened hair comfortingly. "They are helping."

The younger god moaned and he knocked the needle out of Bruce's hand when he drew near. Loki's chest was heaving as he took in large droughts of air. He caught Natasha's eye and said through clenched teeth, "You should have killed me. You should have…"

"He reached for Tony," The spy explained when she felt Steve's gaze on her. "I had a shot, I took it."

Tony took Loki's head in his hands and forced him to meet his stare. "The Doc is going to put a needle in your arm. No, hey, look at me," He ordered when Loki moaned piteously and shook his head listlessly.

"I'll do anything you ask," Loki breathed.

"It's not going to hurt you," Tony promised. And as close as he was, he could see the almost invisible puncture scars on the god's neck. "Look at me. It won't hurt you."

After a moment, Loki bit deep into his lower lip, nostrils flaring as he nodded only once. A small whimper and a half sob escaped him, his legs instinctively kicking out as Banner slid a fresh needle into his arm.

"Can someone explain what the hell is going on?" Clint yelled irritably, his unused bow held with disappointment at his side. "Why the hell are you guys suddenly treating him like he's worth a damn?"

"Shut up, Clint," Natasha whispered as she watched Banner and Tony work.

The archer looked at her incredulously. "What? Have you all lost it? You should've killed the bastard when you had the shot."

Tony struck him suddenly, flying at him to connect his fist with the other's jaw. Clint's head snapped to the side with the force of it. The billionaire would have gotten another hit if Steve hadn't gotten between them.

"That's enough, you two." Steve held the pair at arm's length and turned to Barton. "You ask why we treat him like he's worth a damn? Because he is; it's the right thing to do."

"You're insane to help him." Clint touched his already bruising jaw and winced. "I'd—"

"Finish that sentence and I swear the next hit won't be just a love tap," Tony snarled through clenched teeth.

"That's it. Come on, Barton." Steve grabbed Clint by the collar of his shirt before he could comment further and dragged him from the room with outraged protests.

Tony looked at Natasha, still standing there with guns holstered and arms folded tightly over her chest.

"I'm not going to apologize," She said, lifting her chin defiantly. "I thought he was going for an attack so I took the shot."

"Well, he wasn't. And you could've given him exactly what he wanted."

"So, you're going to force him to live?" Her eyebrow rose with a questioning look.

"Natasha," Banner whispered her name and when she met his gaze, he shook his head.

She gave Tony the briefest glance from the corner of her eye before she turn of her heel and left.

The scientist looked up at Tony. "I slipped him a mild sedative. The bullet wound is just a graze. I'll clean it out and you can help me stitch the other wounds. Ready?"

Tony nodded.

Stark slumped back on his couch with a heavy sigh, knocking back the rest of his drink in one go. The Scotch burned in the back of his throat but he gave a hum of content and let his eyes drift close. He had just gotten clean, washed away every bit of bile and blood until his skin turned a lovely pink. Then he scrubbed again. His skin was tender now, sensitive in the soft cotton fabric of his shirt and sweatpants. It held that tingling sensation that felt almost like the aftereffect of getting a shock. It was satisfying.

"How is he?" Steve asked as he took a seat beside Tony.

The billionaire blinked. "What? Oh, uh…fine. It was just a graze. We put him with Thor on the floor above you."

"Still processing?"

"What?"

"You. You're still processing what happened?"

Stark shook his head. "No…Yes. I don't know. It's just strange like…when you see someone and you expect certain things but then they change—"

"And it's like a whole other person."

"Exactly." Tony twirled the glass between his palms, staring at it intently. "How are we supposed to separate the then from the now?"

"We don't," Steve answered. "We take what we know now. We live in the now. Besides, Thor wouldn't have tried so hard to save him if didn't know there was some good in Loki. Maybe it's still there."

The billionaire exhaled slowly and rose to his feet. "The sedative should've worn off by now. You should order something; we missed dinner."

"You want something special?"

"No, I'm not hungry."

The billionaire exited the elevator on Thor's floor and a shiver ran down his spine. It almost felt like he was intruding. He found Thor standing in front of Loki's bedroom door with his hands clenched at his side and a scowl on his face. When Tony asked him what was wrong he replied, "Loki woke and it was…unpleasant. Banner is giving him more Midgardian medicine."

The room was unnaturally cold and sent another shiver down Stark's spine. He shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders against the cold. Bruce met him in the doorway.

"Tony, I don't…" Banner began in a hushed whisper. He looked at his friend helplessly. "He thought he was somewhere else, didn't recognize us. I don't know what else I can do. I can keep him sedated for only so long. It's a lower dose, just to keep him from hurting himself."

Tony shrugged as he looked at the slow rise and fall of the god's chest. "He's terrified. He's been through hell, drugged and wakes up to the people that put him in Asgardian prison. I'm surprised he didn't cause more damage."

"It wasn't for lack of trying." There was a beat of silence. "We're walking on thin ice, Tony. What happens if this Thanos guy does show?"

"Then I put on the suit, you hulk out and we fight."

"He broke into an Asgardian prison and kidnapped Loki. You really think we'll win that fight?"

"No, but I'm sure as hell not going to just give up to some sick bastard with a penchant for extreme torture." He saw Banner pinch the bridge of his nose, shoulders slumped in exhaustion. "Go get some rest. I'll stay here."

"Thanks. I think I'll go see Clint first though, talk to him before he does something stupid."

Tony sat on the edge of the bed and took in the god's appearance. Beneath the black shirt and sweats Tony lent him, Loki was swathed head to toe in bandages, smaller ones taped over the deeper cut underlining his cheekbones. His hands rested over his abdomen, clenching and unclenching as his brow furrowed and his eyes shifted beneath their lids. Tony knew that look. He knew that feeling and so he called the god's name until Loki's eyes fluttered open. There was a spark of instinctive fear but neither man reacted to it. With the drugs coursing through his system, Loki found it hard to react to much of anything. They made his thoughts sluggish and his limbs heavy, his lips and tongue moving ungainly as he mouthed silent words.

"I heard you tried to trash my place again." Tony gave a small smile that didn't reach his eyes because looking at Loki sent a little stab of pain in his chest. "Know where you are?"

"Tower," Loki managed to whisper. His lips moved again but Tony could not make out the words.

"Go to sleep. You're running on less than fumes." Tony shifted to get comfortable but Loki, thinking he was leaving, grabbed his shirt weakly.

"I can't…"

"I'll stay with you." Tony held his hand on the bed. He sighed as he took in the other's unhealthy pallor and marred skin. "I know how deep your fear is and how bad you're really hurting. I didn't tell the others yet but…I could see inside your head when I helped bring you back. It's chaotic in there and overwhelming and you're on the edge of insanity. More than before. With what you've been through, it'll be easy to go there. Don't. Don't give in that easy."

Loki fixed him with a dead stare for a brief second and said in a soft breath, "I have already."


	4. Chapter 4

"What did you say?" Tony stared at Steve incredulously. His flight had just landed and, not a minute after stepping out of his car, he was already itching for a drink. "You lost him?"

Steve looked shamefaced and shifted his weight from one foot to the other under Tony's stare. The large garage suddenly felt confined and the air suffocating. "We didn't quite lose him. He just walked out without us noticing."

"I was only gone three days. Three. He could barely stand and now you're telling me Loki just walked off the reservation?"

"Calm down, Tony. Thor's out looking for him now and Banner is scanning the area's security cameras. We'll find him." Steve promised.

Tony hooked a finger beneath the knot of his tie and pulled it loose. He could use that drink. "How long has he been gone for?"

"A little over an hour." Steve barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes as Tony brushed passed him in foul temper, but he understood that anger and let it go. They headed to the elevator, Steve lengthening his stride to match Tony quick pace.

"He has the amulet," Steve added quietly. "Thor found it missing after Loki took off. We checked the cameras in the Tower but, so far, we've got nothing on him outside a block radius. He just kind of vanished."

"He doesn't have the kind of energy it takes to just vanish even using the magic necklace. Did you guys get the direction he was heading in?"

"Yeah, Thor's canvassing the area now. I was just getting back from SHEILD."

Tony resisted the look disgusted. "Great. How was Fury?"

"Angry. Well, angrier than usual." There was a pause and Steve looked over at Stark with a worried glance. "Tony, you don't think Thanos—"

"I think he's running from him," Tony cut him off quickly.

Steve nodded, his hands clasped behind his back. "You stand still long enough, you feel the devil breathing down your neck," He murmured.

Banner looked up as the pair entered the lab. "How was DC?" He asked absently as he went back to the multiple screens.

"On a scale of tortured god to lost god of mischief?" Tony asked as he came up behind the doctor, his eyes scanning the computers.

"Glad you're up to speed." Banner pulled up a small map of the city and sectioned of a portion in a yellow circle. "He has to be somewhere in this area, going on the direction he was headed in." He drew a line in the center of the circle. "Thor's making his way up through here. For now, I'm accessing security cameras, trying to see if I can't catch him."

"I'll take a car and Steve," Tony said. "It's most likely he'll go somewhere quiet so we'll check the parks."

Banner nodded to show he heard. "I'll call if I find something."

Tony drove slowly as slowly as he could, thankful for the first time for New York traffic.

"Tony," Steve said hesitantly. "He really shouldn't have been able to just get up and leave like he did."

Tony replied absentmindedly, "Well, maybe he was playing possum." He kept one eye on the street and the other scanning the sidewalk.

"He wasn't. I mean, he really couldn't. You and Banner ran the tests. There was no possible way he could get outside a block and we should've been able to catch him at the door."

"How long was he alone for?"

"I don't know. Thor left him in the library so maybe a few hours. Why?"

Tony gave a small growl of frustration. "He's been gone longer than an hour."

"The camera—"

"Loki is a lot better at technology than Thor is. He probably used it so we'd concentrate on a smaller vicinity." Stark took his bottom lip between his teeth, eyes narrowing as he looked about with annoyance.

"But you still think he'd go somewhere quiet. Let me out here. I'll check the library and the museum. You take the park." Steve got out as soon as Tony pulled over but paused before he closed the door, bending to look at his friend. "We'll find him, Tony. He still couldn't have gotten too far."

Stark's jaw tightened in anger though not directed at Rogers. "I'll meet you by the museum in an hour," He said tensely. He didn't mean for it to sound sharp but it did and he couldn't take it back.

Tony took the park on foot, burying his hands deep in the pockets of his coat and shivering against a cold wind that seemed to want to blow right through. He kept his hat pulled low around his ears and turned his head when the occasional jogger came close. He didn't have the time for abuse or praise.

As the billionaire wandered, he felt a pulling sensation in his chest that made him instinctively looked down though he could not see the Arc Reactor. And without really knowing why, Tony let his feet carry him off the track and across the snow dusted field. Some distance away, he began to make out the outline of a forlorn figure sitting alone on a park bench. An immediate sense of knowing struck Stark and he took off in a sprint, the cold air chilling his lungs. And as he drew closer, he saw that it was Loki, slumped over with his hair hiding his face. The god was motionless even as Tony came to a halt in front of him.

Tony laid a hand gently on Loki's shoulder, taking in the short sleeves and bandaged arms. Blood colored a part of his forearm from where he had ripped out the IV. When he didn't move, Tony shook him gently as he knelt. He saw the other's eyes were closed, but his breath could be seen in the air forming a steady succession of clouds.

"Loki, wake up." Tony loathed waking him that way, recalling a few of his own experiences but there wasn't much of a choice. "Loki," He said a little louder, his grip tightening with worry.

The god's eyes fluttered open and his eyes were glassy as he tried to focus on Tony.

"Of course you would find me first," Loki breathed. He sighed heavily and his eyes drifted shut.

"Hey, stay awake for a minute. Can you walk?"

Loki struggled to keep his eyes open, and his brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm cold, Stark." It seemed that he either didn't really hear the Avenger or just didn't deem it necessary to answer.

Tony immediately removed his coat to drape it over the other's shoulders, pulling it somewhat closed around his chest.

"What's that noise?" Loki asked, head lolling back as he hovered between sleep and consciousness.

The wind was howling through the trees and sent a shudder running through the billionaire. He pulled up the collar of his coat and shivered violently at another gust of wind. "It's the wind," He replied. "Can you walk?"

Loki looked off to the side as if in a drunken stupor. "Can't you hear it, a horrible clamor like…dying? It's not the wind. It's not." He said it again in a whisper.

Tony had his hands on either side of the god's face, turning him to look at him. "There's nothing but the wind." Stark put an arm carefully around the other's waist and lifted Loki to his feet. "Put your arm around my shoulders. The car's just across the field."

Loki was silent, hanging like deadweight on Tony. Then he grabbed Tony's neck suddenly in a way that was reminiscent of when he threw the billionaire out of the window, but it wasn't a tight grip just firm enough to go beyond a feather-light touch. Stark's heart stopped for a quick second and he grabbed the god wrapped up in the warm folds of his coat. Loki's thumb brushed along the billionaire's jaw, tilting his head up. Sea green eyes met his, piercing into the very heart of him, through the circuits and metal spears centimeters from the beating muscle.

"It would be you, wouldn't it?" Loki murmured.

Tony's eyes softened and he saw the dark circles around the god's eyes, knowing just how deep his exhaustion ran. He shifted so that his back was against Loki's chest and said, "Put your arms around my neck."

Stark carried the god on his back, arms hooked under Loki's knees and leaning forward slightly to keep him from sliding too far down. The air was freezing, but Tony did his best to ignore it. He refused to dwell on the stinging tips of his fingers or the way his legs were becoming numb. Tony put one foot in front of the other, ignoring the stares of the park joggers and the elderly pigeon feeders on the benches. Instead, he focused on the weight of Loki's head resting against his neck and the hands gripping his shirt.

"I can feel him, Tony," Loki muttered as he was placed gently in the back seat of the car.

"Who?" Tony asked as he tucked the jacket closer around the half sleeping god.

"His fingers," Loki said, succumbing to exhaustion, "reaching out for me." He slipped a hand from beneath the jacket and covered his eyes as he stifled a cry of frustration behind his teeth. "Billions of miles between us and I'm reduced to a whimpering child at the vaguest sense of him. Gods, it would be you," He added in a whisper.

Stark stared at him with a combination of confusion and sorrow. So, he did not reply but sank into the front seat and clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to restore some life into his fingers.

Steve stood by the curb watching as Stark pulled up. He stepped into the car and twisted his seat to look in the back seat. Beneath the thick coat, Loki had fallen asleep curled in on himself, arms wrapped around his legs.

"I thought he, uh—"

"Apparently, he's cold now." Tony looked into the rearview mirror and he realized just how healed the facial wounds were and the thought occurred to him that maybe the result of residual magic. Gut clenching in absolute terror, Stark sincerely hoped not. If there was lingering magic then that meant there was something for Thanos to look for, something to find.

"I worry about my brother, Stark." Thor crossed his arms over his chest as he watched his brother sleep. A fresh IV had been put in and Loki exchanged his clothes for something warmer.

"I know," Tony replied. He sipped his drink and his nerves were soothed somewhat.

"I would take him back to Asgard."

The billionaire knew a look of surprise crossed his face and he asked, "You would what?"

"Loki hardly eats or sleeps. He has not spoken except to you, and Banner now tells me that your computers tell him something far different than before. I wish to make Loki better not cause him more suffering on this planet as a fragile Midgardian."

"You can't take him back there. Give him some time to heal. He can get better on Earth."

Thor paused for a moment deep in thought. "Will you watch him for a moment? I wish to think further on this."

Tony nodded and as soon as the god left the room, he took a seat on the edge of the bed and picked up the amulet left forgotten beside Loki's pillow. Despite his uncertainty, he shook Loki to consciousness. Still on the edge of slumber, Loki tensed but hardly had the presence of mind to move away.

Tony leaned closed, biting his lip with hesitation but he steeled himself and said, "I need you to tell me about magic."

"No," Loki replied as he tried to turn over.

Stark caught his shoulder and held him there. "I have an idea but I need your help."

"You can't use magic." Words were slurred.

"You said you could feel Thanos looking for you and I'm trying to keep that from happening. Now, do you trust me?"

After a long moment, Loki sighed and asked, "What would you like to know?"

"Everything."


	5. Chapter 5

Loki lay on the rough ground with sharp rocks digging into his freshly flayed back. Shivering as his blood filled the dips and hollows of the rocky terrain, he stared up at the faint glow emanating from the void. For a fleeting moment, the thought came to him that he could not recall another light. He had forgotten what the sun and moon looked like and thought that if he ever saw them again, he would be blinded.

The thought didn't last for long; he could not keep his thoughts to any one thing longer than a minute. Pain was searing through his veins like branding iron to bare skin and rode his spine like an electric current. Loki was nearly incoherent from it, only able to lay there and give horrible congested breaths.

At the sound of boot heels drawing close, the god rolled onto his side with a groan and curled as best he could into a fetal position. The footfalls came to a stop by his head, making Loki tremble violently. His throat, already raw from screaming, seized mid-blood filled swallow. Without a word, the two faceless soldiers with hooked poles pierced the god's flesh and dragged him ever the rough ground. He didn't even have the energy to cry out, but as far as pain, having sharp rocks tear into raw skin was a blessed reprieve.

From the corner of his eye, Loki could see Thanos watching him from a distance and his gaze made the god wince. Thanos waved a large calloused hand and looked away as if bored. Loki knew that gesture and it sent a shiver of apprehension down his spine. And before they sent him tumbling down the oubliette until his next round of torture, Loki felt a sharp pinch at the base of his neck immediately followed by an intense pain blossoming in his chest. As he struggled for air to scream, the faceless soldiers ripped the hooks from his skin and, with a careless kick, sent him spiraling into the dark abyss, his body striking the jagged walls. At the bottom, body completely broken, the oubliette echoed with his sporadic screams.

"Loki?" Tony called the god's name as he shuffled from his room, rubbing sleep from the corners of his eyes.

Loki had sequestered himself in the billionaire's lavish pent house floor. Dressed in borrowed sweatpants and a sweater large enough for Thor, he had seated himself on the floor in the corner by the window, drawing his knees up to his chest to stare vacantly out at the grey sky. A hand was clenched over his heart, tightening and relaxing every so often, his lips parted slightly as he took rapid breaths.

Tony came to a stop a little out of arm's reach, pausing with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his hoodie and followed Loki's gaze to look out at the city. After a moment, he sat down, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he let out a breath.

"Did you tell them yet?" Loki asked quietly. He didn't look at the Avenger but kept staring out the window though his gaze was more focused. "Did you tell them of your insane plan to fix me using the amulet?"

Tony shook his head. "No. I'll tell the Doc after I run a few more stress tests. Steve would just throw a fit, probably try and stop me."

"Just as well," Loki murmured as if an afterthought. "You're likely to kill yourself, if not the both of us."

Tony took gave him a sardonic smirk and cutting look before he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm, "Your confidence in me is overwhelming."

"I did say likely." There was a pause as the god seemed distracted by a dysfunctional flock of birds coast lazily by. He blinked owlishly, seemed to remember himself and said, "I don't understand why you would try so hard and risk anything at all to help me." He hummed in thought. "I suppose pity is the basis of humanity."

"Don't get me wrong. If there was time, I'd have a better plan. But there's not, so I don't." Tony shifted and caught the other's eyes, but Loki could only hold it for a second. "I don't pity you though. The basis of humanity isn't pity, it's empathy."

Loki exhaled slowly. "I would have conquered your world."

"Well, then it's lucky we're so good at defending it."

"I would have ruled you."

Tony wrinkled his nose. "I'd kind of like to see you try with France. They don't take well to an absolute monarchy."

The god gave a soft growl of frustration. "You are a very foolish mortal. I'm handing you a way out."

"That's alright, I don't like being handed things," Stark said with a smirk.

"Stark—"

"Loki."

"Tony," Loki's voice rose in aggravation.

"Yes, dear?" Tony grinned. "Look, you can talk until you're blue in the face—which I guess for you is a good thing—but I'm not backing away from this."

Loki did not reply. A sudden darkness seemed to touch the center of the sky and grew like a fresh stain on the grey expanse of sky. The god began to tremble violently at the sight of it, shaking so uncontrollably the billionaire could almost hear bones rattle. A quiet whimper of fear escaped the god's lips and he stared wide-eyed at the growing darkness. A pungent smell began to tinge the air, setting Tony's heart racing as he recalled the same smell when Thor and Loki first arrived.

Tony leapt to his feet and said, "Come on, princess." He held out a hand to help Loki to his feet, but the god wasn't listening.

Everything had shifted. Loki's perception, his sense of self had withdrawn and he had made himself into a quivering mass of fragile skin and bones, remembering only a searing pain and a voice like the rumble of thunder and as dangerous as the lightening Thor summoned. Both hands had clenched over his heart, chest heaving as he hyperventilated. So, Tony shouted his name and, without waiting for a response, grabbed him roughly by the arm, shifting his grip to lead Loki by the hand when he cringed. Some part of the trickster attempted to keep up, but there seemed to be a disconnect between his brain and limbs. He faltered, falling against Tony. The billionaire barely broke stride, hoisting the god onto his back the same way he had at the park.

"It's alright," Tony said as Loki wrapped his arms tightly around his neck, trembling uncontrollably. "It's probably nothing." He knew he was lying and it tasted foul on his tongue, but he did it anyway.

Tony made his way to the elevator only to stop halfway as an intense pain hit him between the eyes. It was as though a nail had been driven into the base of his skull. He clenched his teeth against the pain, his knees buckling for a fraction of a second. He closed his eyes and took a breath, intent on pressing on, but sudden warmth seeping into the shoulder of hoodie gave him pause. Tony gave his shoulder a slight twitch and Loki's head shifted limply, his body still.

"Loki? Hey, no, wake up. Don't do this now." Tony carefully shifted Loki from his back to ease him to the floor. Blood was spilling from his nose in veritable torrent, painting his scarred cheek red. And as Stark went to take his pulse, another spike of pain hit the base of his skull only more unforgiving than the last. He pressed the heels of his hands against his ears and his fingers dug into the nape of his neck. Brilliant specks of lights danced behind his lids and created a kaleidoscope that would have been fascinating to study if Tony could think of anything beyond the searing pain.

Almost without thought, Tony pulled his phone from his pocket and cracked an eye open, growling as the light assaulted his senses. He tried to dial a familiar number, any number, but the pain was creeping down his spine and setting his teeth on edge. The kaleidoscope was growing dimmer and waves of nausea were washing over him, overwhelming him. Stark was on his knees, bent over until his forehead rested on the cool tiled floor. As the light behind his eyes dimmed, a vague sort of mixture of a moan and a keening wail pierced his eardrums. It sounded like dying. It echoed deep within him, thrumming through his marrow and rising with every beat of his heart until he felt himself go limp and let the darkness overtake him.

~  
"Mother," Thor spread his arms wide and the Queen walked into his embrace. "It's is good to see you." His eyes went passed his mother's to the familiar warrior at her side. "And you as well, Sif."

Banner and Steve exchanged a glance small shrug as they stood some distance away. They both wore an expression of slight confusion, but after most of the things they'd been through, they considered this the better side of normal.

"What brings you here?" Thor asked. "We were not expecting you."

"Heimdall," Sif answered. "He could not see or hear you. We feared Loki had worked more of his magic."

"You are mistaken, he has no power." Thor's expression grew grim. "I am glad you have come. Loki's condition grows worse."

Steve cleared his throat, holding up his shield with a wave and smile when he caught Thor's eyes. Banner gave a timid wave, uncertain he really wanted to be in a roomful of gods.

Thor waved them closer. "Mother, Sif, I would introduce you to my friends. This is Bruce Banner and Captain Rogers."

"So, a queen…" Rogers said nervously. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." When she glanced curiously at his shield he held it behind him as if it could be hidden. "Sorry about the armor. We were expecting less pleasant visitors."

Frigga smiled lightly thought it dropped somewhat when she looked to the Doctor. "He has his weapon, where is your's?"

Banner shoved his hands in his pockets, shoulders moving with a nervous movement under her piercing stare. "Oh, um…I, uh, I kind of am a weapon."

"You are the one Thor spoke of," Sif said with wonder as she stepped forward, "the one who changes and possesses great strength."

"I—"

Steve glanced around and murmured, "Tony should have been here by now."

The Doctor's brow furrowed in worry. "You're right. The whole Tower smells like a morgue, he would've come running."

"He's with Loki. You don't think…"

Banner turned on his heel and, with long strides, made his way to the nearest computer. He brought up the camera on Tony's floor and gave a whispered curse.

"Is something wrong with my son?" Frigga asked, lifting the long folds of her gown as she followed them at a jog to the elevator.

"To be honest, there's been a whole let wrong lately," Steve replied. "But if anyone can fix it, it's the Doctor."

Banner vaulted off the wall as soon as the doors opened on his friend's floor, dropping to his knees beside Loki first who was had begun a wet breathing, blood dribbling from between his lips. The Doctor tilted the god's head back and took his pulse before he moved to Tony.

Stark gave a pained groan through clenched teeth when Banner shook his shoulder. Like an armadillo, he curled in on himself with his hands pressing against the side of his head as if that might somehow stop the pain.

Frigga dropped to her knees beside her youngest son, her fingers ghosting over his scarred face. "What has been done to him?"

"Dark magic," Thor replied. "He was close to death. Stark saved him by using an amulet Loki gave to me."

"Steve," Banner said, "you grab Tony, I'll grab Loki. We'll take them down the Med Lab."

"There is no need," the Queen interrupted. "This situation must be remedied quickly. Give me the amulet and sit them facing each other."

Her words somehow managed to cut through the din in the billionaire's head, and he gritted out from between clenched teeth, "My pocket."

Banner went through his friend's pockets, concerned at the lack of jokes it gained. But he held up the necklace and held it out to the goddess.

"My Queen," Sif interjected as she stepped forward once again. "I cannot let you do this. You've already spent much energy getting us here."

"And I will spend more keeping my son alive," she replied without even bothering to turn. She waited for Steve to help Tony sit up and grasped the billionaire's hands in her own. "You have very foolishly connected yourself with my son."

"So, he tells me," Tony slurred a reply. He winced at the sound of Thor pacing like a caged animal, and he thought that above all else he would rather take his worst hangover than this. "Didn't think I'd see mommy dearest here."

Frigga gave a small motherly smile. "I am very sorry, but this will hurt."

Tony cursed under his breath, cracked one eye open and tilted his head to watch as Banner kneeled behind Loki to keep him upright, the god's head falling limply forward so that his chin rested on his chest. Frigga turned Tony's palms upward and rested Loki's on top and a feeling of electric current seemed to pass between them.

Trepidation filled Tony's chest as Frigga dangled the amulet above their hands. "I don't suppose…it's too late to change my mind?" Tony asked.

Steve gave the other Avenger's shoulder a brief squeeze. "We're right here, Tony."

A shiver of apprehension ran down Stark's spine.


	6. Chapter 6

There was an awful gaping chasm tearing its way into existence through Tony's chest, pulling him through and crushing him as if it were a black hole. Or that was the way he would describe it. His body hurt in ways he did not even think was possible, and the worse of it was that it refused to move. Everything was stuck in place. Like a clock forgotten to be wound, he seemed to just shut down. There was the feeling of each and every bone being put into a vice until they shattered. But there was no actual breaking of bone, just the overwhelming pain that accompanied it.

Stark felt as though his head were exploding from the inside, a shotgun gone off from the center of his mind. But he couldn't take a breath to cry out or protest this sudden descent into pain-fueled insanity. What he could see wasn't his Tower but a series of images. Like when he had first used the amulet to heal Loki, he found himself delving into the god's mind only this unwelcome excursion was far different. Last time was flickers, memories only lasting a few seconds before it cut to something else. Now, he saw everything from the imprisonment on Asgard to the very second he had fallen unconscious as Tony tried to carry him to the elevator.

It wasn't just images. Tony's senses were flooded with feelings, smells, and thoughts. Everything Loki had felt or said was transplanted into Stark's mind. Every hand enclosing the god's neck, every bone shattered, and every knife that pierced his skin was a second hand recollection burned into the billionaire's memory.

And just as quickly as it seemed to begin, it ended. Similar to the sudden halt of a car, the momentum flung Tony painfully back to the present. He gave a strained and hurried inhale like a drowning man suddenly pulled from the water. A hand grasped his arm tightly, making him jump. But it was only Steve, lips moving with words that didn't quite make it over the ringing in his ears.

Tony sat numbly on the heels of his feet, watching as Thor and Sif ran to Frigga who had fainted with the amount of energy she was compelled to use. Stark turned to Loki who was still supported by Banner. The trickster turned a curious shade of blue for a brief moment before he took on a pale, deathly pallor, the Jotun scars fading away.

The billionaire felt his eyes grow heavy and he blinked only to find that instead of opening his eyes again, he had let himself sink into a half conscious state and could only vaguely feel himself being lifted in strong arms.

Frigga was laid in her own room, resting easily and comfortably enough that Sif took her leave with Thor.

"You would leave your mother's side for Loki's?" She asked hurriedly, moving somewhere between a quick walk and sporadic jog to keep pace with the prince.

Thor looked over at the warrior, his expression solemn. "It is not my mother's health that I fear for. You saw yourself how well she is under Banner's care."

"I meant you hold Loki in higher regard than your mother, the queen?" She sounded hurt and angry, afraid his loyalty had shifted too far and focused too much on the trickster.

Thor stopped suddenly and a small, confused smile graced his lips. "I love them both."

"Though you shouldn't. What lies has he spread on this occasion to make you love him so?"

Thor's expression became tinged with anger, his stance less relaxed. "Loki has suffered more than either of us know. Do not mistake his inability to defend himself for lack of defense. I stand beside him because he is my brother still."

"He is a traitor and does not deserve your grace," Sif replied through teeth clenched tight in a mix of displaced hatred and fury. "He is a Jotun, disgraced from the throne if he ever had claim to it. Listen to what I say: Loki is not your brother and will look only for power."

The god was silent for a second, a look of disgust and hurt written in the lines of his face. "You will not speak ill of Loki again while you are in my friend's house."

"But I—"

"As your prince I command it," he snapped. "If I hear you speak ill again, I will take your sword and send you back to Asgard a proper maiden. Do you understand?"

Sif was stunned at the intensity and severity of his words and for a moment she could only stare in absolute surprise. At last she collected herself. "Yes, my prince," she answered in a voice choked with indignation. She gave a small bow. "I will go sit at your mother's bedside until she awakens."

Dismissing the conversation, Thor sat on the edge of his brother's bed. The sterile smell of the room was slowly becoming frighteningly familiar. Loki, still unconscious, lay with an IV in his arm. Electrolyte imbalance, Bruce had said. If not for the deathly pallor and machines attached to him, Loki might have been sleeping. And to Thor, the younger god still seemed the boy he had known growing up. Seeing his brother made Thor's heart feel heavy in his chest. He bent to kiss his brother's brow.

"It appears that we continue to go in circles," Thor said quietly, "you hurt and me unable to do anything. Banner says you will be well again with rest, but you look no better than before." He paused a moment as if for a reply but there was none. "If I had been wiser and less foolhardy then as I am now, I think we would have been content in Asgard."

Loki's eyes shifted behind closed lids, his breath becoming rapid and the heart monitor emitting a quickening pace. Thor tensed, unsure of the machinery. In his anxiety, he rose to his feet and left the younger god alone to find Bruce.

Loki's eyes fluttered open and he was met with an explosion of agony at the sight of the harsh lights. He became disoriented, unable to recall where he was. Memories of his capture that he had somewhat been able to repress had coming flooding up to the surface in an overwhelming wave to drag him to the depths of a cold fear. With frenzied hurry, Loki ripped out the IV as well as the other wires attached to his body, his heart thumping madly at the loud monotone wail of the monitor. Pressing his lips in a thin line, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and when he stood his legs trembled and buckled at the knees. By sheer strength of will, he managed to keep himself upright and took faltering steps to the door as he shielded his eyes against the too bright lights.

For him, the corridor was too white, too monochrome, and had no way to distinguish between walls and floor. Loki stretched out his hand until he had his palm flat against the wall and used it to guide himself. As he shuffled down the hall, the blurred outlines of Thor and Banner came rushing towards him, Thor distinguishable by his massive frame and Banner by his easy gait. Loki paused to watch them approach through narrowed eyes.

"Where's Stark?" The younger god demanded with a ragged breath. Thor ignored the question in favor of helping his brother stand, but Loki roughly pushed the helping hands away. "Do not touch me," he snarled through clenched teeth. He was seized with the sudden urge to retch but fought it and leaned against the wall, nostrils flared with heavy breaths.

"You're bleeding," Thor replied patiently. "Let us help y—"

"I don't care if I bleed all over the floor," Loki shouted. "What is a few drops of blood anymore? Now, tell me where Stark is." When they did not answer immediately, he shouted Tony's name at the top of his lungs. He continued even louder, if it were possible, when Thor hefted him up in his large arms and attempted to carry him off back to the sick bay.

"Put me down, you great hulking animal," Loki growled venomously. "Stark!"

At the sound of soft shuffling footsteps behind them, the three turned to see Tony leaning against the wall with a hand to his head. Using the wall, he shuffled towards them. Loki twisted out of Thor's grasp and staggered to Tony to grab fistfuls of his shirt, pulling him close until there was a paper thin distance between them.

"You reckless, foolish wreck of a man," Loki snarled, voice cracking in both anger and hurt. "You went through my mind—my mind. How dare you pry your way in."

Tony pressed his hands to either side of his head, eyes screwed shut as if that may stop the pounding headache threatening to split his skull in two. "Stop yelling. I didn't—"

"I was an idiot to think that I could trust you." Loki shook Tony roughly, but his eyes were bright with pain and disappointment. "As if it weren't enough that I had been made into a simpering coward forced to live on the forsaken rock of a planet with you."

Tony clenched his teeth against the pain and shoved the god back so that he ground and stood over him. "Go on and get mad. Get mad at me, at everything," Tony shouted, glaring so hard at Thor and Banner when they attempted to intervene that they stopped short.

Loki hooked a foot behind Tony's knee and brought him down, moving quickly to pin him to the floor with his hands around the billionaire's wrists.

"That's right, fight back. Hit me if it makes you feel better," Tony said quietly. "I can take the punch. But I didn't go through your mind, I wouldn't want to. I have my own nightmares. I don't need yours too." He tilted his head slightly, his gaze softening as he stared up at the god. "You're a lot of things, Loki, but coward isn't one of them."

Loki released Tony with a soft growl of frustration when he heard the soft call of his name. It was low and pleasant, conjuring up better memories of blonde curls, easy smiles, and a warm embrace. Loki turned his still slightly blurred vision to two figures steadily approaching and, blinking to focus, could only whisper "you" in a strange mixture of reverence and horror. As Frigga drew near, Loki struggled to his feet.

"My poor son." Frigga went to embrace him with tears clinging to her lashes.

But Loki would have none of it. He stepped away from her, feeling all eyes on him like some sort of blood thirsty tribunal. "It was you who pried. Reverent mother," he sneered, "did you come to find pity for the errant child?" He turned to Sif and felt a swell of contempt blossom in his chest. "And did you have your fun inside my mind as well? Did you celebrate?"

"I wouldn't bother looking in your mind, Liesmith," the warrior replied hotly. "There is no telling what lies you've made at home there."

"Sif," Thor said in a low voice as he fixed her with a hard stare.

Glancing over his shoulder, Loki looked first at Thor then back to Sif. "Don't stop her now. All of Asgard knows she's been keeping her tongue in check. Go on, Sif, the time is yours."

The corner of the warrior's lip turned up in a sneer. "I would not upset the queen."

His face twisted in a mask of rage in a heartbeat. "Then we'll ask her to cover her ears," he roared. "Are you too afraid to taint the Golden Queen's fragile ears or shall I just start first?"

"Loki, don't," Thor pleaded softly as Banner pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh. Tony kept his seat on the floor with his hands over his ears, content that Loki should have it out with the other god.

Loki turned to face Thor with rage shining in his eyes and a snarl giving his face an animalistic quality. "Why should she keep her mouth shut? Why should I? I've been plagued with secrets far too long and it's sickening." He turned back to Sif. "Well? The whole nine realms know you've been holding back far too long."

"You vile little imp," she hissed under her breath. "How dare you speak in such a way in front of the queen."

"You prance on your moral high horse, looking at me—me as if I were some common dog. But I am not the one who looks so much like a love struck hound. Tell me, how happy were you when the Bifrost was destro—"

Sif struck him suddenly with an open palm across the face that gave such a resounding smack that Tony leapt to his feet and Thor took a step forward, but Loki, though fear flashed across his face, steeled himself and waved them away.

Sif said in a dangerously low voice, "You are a liar, a Jotun and a traitor."

His face now expressionless, Loki's eyes were as dangerous as a feral animal's as he replied, "Still, better valued than a love whipped cur."

"You say I prance on a moral high horse, but at least mine is no bastard." She said, fixing the trickster with a cold stare. Tony could see a seething rage so intense it glazed over those blue-green eyes and he took a step between them. "I would happily see you back in the pit you crawled out of."

Thor shouted "enough". His mother's hand flew to her mouth at the insult Sif delivered, stunned into silence.

"Out," Tony ordered in shocked quiet then again louder until he shouted. "Get the hell off my floor."

"Banner," Thor said quickly. "please, take my mother back to her room. Sif,…you will walk with me."

She looked almost afraid for a moment despite the fact he was essentially human. "But I—"

"You will walk with me," he repeated in a low angry growl.

Sif delivered a parting glare to the trickster before she followed Thor. Before Tony could take Loki back to his room or Frigga could say a word, Loki gave a look of such despair that it drove a jackknife straight into Tony's heart, made his lungs collapse. But he drew breath again and waited for Banner to lead Frigga back to her own room before he followed Loki back to his.

"Let me take a look at that," Tony ordered as he sat the god on the bed, noting the purple bruise beginning to form on the other's cheek.

Loki made a small noise of annoyance and ducked away from Tony's hand. "It's nothing." He paused and looked up to meet the other stare. "I'm sorry I accused you,"

"You didn't know." Tony shrugged halfheartedly, his eyes flicking between the sea green eyes. "Still angry?"

"I tried…it was preferable to fear even if it meant a blow. But I'm tired now, unbelievably tired." He turned away from Tony and stretched out on the bed, but before he hid his face from view, Stark could see the heartbreaking look in his eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Blood ran in rivulets, changed from red to black to brilliant blues. It made patterns of pinned butterflies that moved against reason to imprint themselves on paper made soft with wear. Butterflies screamed in their dying, the sound of it echoing through the empty spaces of the trickster's mind to create a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors that twisted and writhed until it formed the keen edge of a knife. And Loki was staring down the blade with a blank expression. The cold weight of it sent shockwaves travelling through his arm. On the tip, where dust motes danced like angels encased in a pale blue light, he heard his name being called in a cacophony of voices.

Loki envisioned tear-streaked faces and bloodied lips before his senses were overwhelmed. He could smell blood and burning skin. The sound of his own screaming resounded in the heavy air.

"Loki," Tony's muffled voice called.

The trickster blinked and reality came back to him. He was surrounded by a heavy blanket that was pulled from over his head.

"Still alive, princess?" Tony sat on the edge of the bed. Dark circles around his eyes showed lack of sleep but even still he gave a half-hearted smile.

"Did you put me here?" Loki asked as he realized he was in the billionaire's bed.

"Nope, this is all you. That's what four days with no sleep does."

"How long was I asleep?"

Tony looked at his watch. "Fourteen hours. I haven't seen anyone sleep that long since my roommate at MIT after his finals." He took a breath and seemed about to add something when there was a knock at the door.

"Tony, it's me," Banner's muffled voice came through the door. He opened it with Tony's permission and leaned against the doorframe. He held his glasses in his hand as he looked at Loki and said, "Thor's looking for you."

"No," Tony replied quickly, his face hardening. "Tell him he's sleeping."

"I'm not going to lie to him."

Tony shrugged indifferently. "Then I'll tell him."

"Neither of you need lie for me," Loki interrupted as he stood. "I'll see him but after I've cleaned. I smell of Stark."

Loki stood beneath the warm spray of the shower as he leaned against the tiled walls, hands clasped over his face. The water bounced off xylophone ribs and razorblade shoulders, easing tension from muscles until Loki gave a quiet sigh.

"Breakfast," Tony exclaimed setting down a plate of what seemed to be everything in his refrigerator. "Well, technically it's lunch now."

Loki glanced between the food and Tony. "I'm not hungry."

"You can't not eat. Have you looked at yourself lately?" Tony asked, a touch of anger in his voice. "I see you're really working on your concentration camp physique. Congratulations, you look like hell."

Loki narrowed his eyes, brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "Are you angry with me?"

"No, I'm not," Tony snapped, short of patience born from lack of sleep. He paused to take a breath and folded his arms tightly over his chest. "I'm not," he repeated calmly. "Just eat something. Please."

Loki shifted to look at Tony over his shoulder. "I'm not a child and I certainly don't need you to tell me what I need to do."

Tony nodded slowly as Loki walked away, his lips pressed in a thin line. Before the trickster could make it to the elevator, Tony was picking him up in his arms despite violent cries of protest.

"I'm not eating your week old leftovers," Loki snapped, pushing vainly at Stark's chest in an attempt to get down. "Put me down, you insipid mortal. You arrogant, egotistical, waste of—"

"You know that might actually hurt if I knew you meant it," Tony snorted.

"Of course I mean it." Loki's lip went up in a prideful sneer.

"Except that it was my bed you wandered into," Tony replied, meeting Loki's indignant stare. He set him down but kept him close by grasping his hand gently. "And it's my name you called last night. I care, you know."

The nape of the god's neck was turning pink and his eyes dropped to the floor. "Be quiet, Stark."

Tony shook his head. "I want you to hear it because he was a liar."

"Stop," Loki ordered quietly. "Let go of my hand."

"Tell me he was a liar. Thanos," Loki's hand gripped Tony's tight at the name, "said that no one wanted you, no one cared. Thor cares, your mother cares."

"They want something that no longer exists."

"Hey, I care. I want you here and I—"

Loki looked at Tony from beneath his lashes, eyes blazing with a mix of anger and pleading. "You're taking liberties with me, and you forget who I am. I'm not a friend, Stark, and I cannot be consoled with mere words." He took his hand from Tony's grasp. "It seems we have both confused our feelings. I cannot let that continue, but I do give my thanks for your kindness, however misguided it may be. I'll return to my own rooms. With your…computer watching, I doubt you'll need to worry about anything I may do."

Tony paused for a fraction of a second before he said, "You're scared. Don't tell me you're not because I see it every damn day. I can help fix this."

"I'm not one of your machines, this cannot be fixed."

"Bullshit. Don't you trust me?"

"The more pressing question is do you trust me?" Loki asked. "Even though it's been told that I am the father of lies and my nature is deception." He paused for a second but did not wait for an answer. "My mother convinced Thor the best course of action is to return to Asgard. That is what he wishes to talk about."

Tony glanced to the side then back at Loki, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "You're not going."

"I should face Odin. Besides, the fact remains that I cannot stay here, not as powerless as I am."

There was a heavy silence that occupied the span of several heartbeats. They stood there, neither looking each other in the eye but fixed on mouths and hands. Loki clenched his hands into fists, breathing slowly as his head swam with exhaustion. Tony's jaw worked in some semblance of anger and disappointment while he thought through the maybes and could have beens for the both of them.

"We can protect you," Tony said quietly.

"Who am I to meekly rely on others?" Loki replied. "I can return to Asgard and regain some of my power. What Odin decides—"

"You're an idiot. Thor said if you went back to Asgard there would be a greater chance of Thanos finding you. What if he tries to take you again? What if, even against Thor, he manages it?"

"I'll die before I go back to that."

Tony closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath. "That's it; you'd rather die a god than stay here like the rest of us." Tony glared. "There aren't nearly enough words to describe the type of idiot you are."

Before the trickster could reply, Tony turned to walk away with his shoulders tight with irritation and his hands clenched unconsciously into fists. The god watched him for a moment, jaw set and eyes following with a look of distress. He looked determined not to pursue the conversation, but his shoulders took on and edge of reluctant resignation and he stalked after him, mouth twisted in a snarl of frustration as he grabbed Tony's arm to make the billionaire look at him.

Tony wrenched his arm from Loki's grasp. "I dragged you down to the lab while you were screaming and choking on your own vomit. I had to listen to you scream in your sleep and call my name. And you're going to risk going back to him just so you can have your powers back? He wouldn't let you kill yourself before what makes you think he wouldn't stop you next time?"

"Why does this matter so much to you? What do you want of me?" Loki demanded in a low growl. He grabbed fistfuls of the other's shirt and shook him desperately. "I've done nothing, am nothing. There's no purpose for me, no usefulness except to be kept as a trophy. Is that what you want?"

Tony was about to shout back, his face all twisted in a rage. But he took a breath and counts back from five. He put his hands lightly on the other's forearms. "If I wanted a prize I'd dig through a cereal box," he replied softly. "I just want you."

"Why?" Loki asked in a breath. "What do you think I can give you?"

Tony closed his eyes and shook his head. "I don't want anything from you."

"We both know that's not quite true." Loki pressed his lips to Tony's softly, his hands loosening their grip on the oil-stained shirt.

It was a soft and easy kiss but they were losing themselves in it. Tony put his hands to Loki's waist to press hips to hips while the god cards his fingers through unruly hair.

"Stop," Tony said as he pulled back slightly, a paper thin distance between their lips. "Don't do this just because I want—"

Loki kissed him, if just to stop his talking. "Who ever said I didn't want to?"

"Still, this is distracting." Tony pulled back, kept one hand on Loki's hip and rubbed the back of his neck with the other. "I'll give Steve a call, tell him to pick something up."

"If I'm to eat then I suggest you give your body time to rest," Loki replied with a quiet sigh.

Tony shrugged. "I'm not tired."

"You have watched over me as I slept, I can return the favor. Unless…I can leave if that would make you more comfortable." The way he said it sounded like a fact but he didn't seem hurt by it. He looked at Tony, head tilted slightly in curiosity as he waited for an answer.

"Are you asking if I trust you?"

"Yes."

Tony replied by taking the god's hand and slipping it beneath his shirt to let his fingers rest on the Arc Reactor. "I know you haven't just been sitting around since you've been here."

"Was it wrong of me to be curious?" Loki asked with genuine interest.

"No, but that means you know what this is and what it does."

Loki slowly lifted Tony's shirt to reveal the glowing life support beneath. And he traced the edge of it with his thumb, gazing from lowered lids were a reverent stare. There was a melancholy in his look. And Loki kissed Tony again as he hands roamed the billionaire's bare skin and settled on the small of his back.

"You could kill me while I was sleeping," Tony murmured around the kiss.

"I could."

"But you won't."

"I would never."


	8. Chapter 8

"Well, I'm still awake and you're still here," Tony yawned as he woke to see Loki seated in the corner of his room.

The god had been staring absentmindedly out at the city, lost in troubled thought. But he was pulled to the present at the sound of Tony's voice, and he turned to give a small smile that never made it to his eyes. "Yes, you are very much alive," he replied quietly. "Rogers came up with Banner." A pause and he looked back out the window. "Apparently, he had trouble carrying all of the food you ordered. An entire menu seems excessive." He seemed almost listless.

Tony ran a hand through already mussed hair and shrugged, used to ordering entire menus. "I didn't know what you'd want. Where are you going?" He asked as Loki rose to his feet to head for the door.

The trickster appeared to hesitate. He kept his back to Tony, speaking over his shoulder as he replied, "I said I would stay while you slept, but now I must speak with Thor."

"Don't go." Tony swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His hands clenched into fists by his sides and his jaw worked with frustration as he stood.

Loki's lips pressed in a thin line and his brow creased slightly in the barest hint of anguish. But his face was turned in such a way that Tony could not see it. "I would rather give him my answer than waste energy avoiding him."

"Is your answer still the same?" There was a tinge of biting anger in the billionaire's voice, but more so there was hurt. And if Loki had turned he would have seen it in the other's stare. But they were both too wrapped up in their own distress and disappointment to notice small details.

Loki exhaled slowly, hands flexing as if they were anxious for something to hold. "This decision is not so easy as you may think."

"You made it easily enough," Tony shot back.

"As would you if you were in my position," Loki snarled. He bristled in response to Tony's anger and turned on his heel to face the billionaire. "I have been alive far longer than you, and I have relied on nothing in all those years except my magic. It is the one thing that has never failed me, and until the moment it was taken away, it had been the constant. It was my gauge and without it I am nothing but the Liesmith."  
"Find something else to gauge yourself with," Tony breathed pleadingly, hands clasped together as if in prayer. "Maybe on Asgard you were the liar and the trickster but right here and now, you're Loki."

Loki shook his head. "That is not so easy a concept for me to grasp." He took a slow, hesitant step to close the distance but he was still just out of arm's reach. "Imagine, if you can, that everything that you've defined yourself with is taken from you. Imagine being reminded every second of how wrong you are."

"Thanos—"

"Is not who I am speaking of. I was never meant to live, and yet here I am. Son—yet not son of Odin. Son—yet not son of Laufey. I survived falling into the Void." Green eyes flick down to the Arc Reactor as it glowed beneath a faded ACDC shirt. The corner of his mouth turned up in the smallest hint of a sad smile. It was as if he was looking at a reflection, an allusion to experiences shared and others never mentioned.

Taking a step forward, he dipped his head then, kissed Tony softly. It's almost shocking how warm Loki was, how soft Tony's lips were. And Tony worked his hands beneath the other's shirt to run callous hands over skin made smooth by whatever dark magic or alchemy Asgardians used. He wished intensely that Loki was a machine because then he would know how to fix this. Tony knows bodies, anatomy, where the most pleasurable spots are. But he negotiates feelings like a drunk; most of the time he stumbles through them. He's doing his damned best, but he can feel himself slipping into an easy rhythm of sex, quiet, and post-coital bliss. So, he leans back.

"What is it that you want from me?" Loki asked, not for the first time. He was desperate again, sure that there was something unfailingly wrong with him that keeps a barren distance from others. "Should I fall into bed with you? Should I, like a nervous lover, hold you close, afraid to let you go lest you should disappear?" As he speaks, he presses the length of his body against Tony's and savored the warmth of him. His lips are brushing over the billionaire's cheek, his ear, the curve of his neck. He masks failings with restless presses of lips to tender skin.

Tony shook his head. "Just…let me know there's something more important than magic." He wanted to pause and reevaluate, but Loki was carding skillful fingers through his hair, lips moving with silent words along his neck. Tony kissed him a bit harder.

"Security," the god breathed as he lets Stark trail kisses along his jaw line and down his neck.

"I'm secure," Tony murmured. He kisses hard as if he could break through tender skin and get to the bits and pieces that truly hurt.

"You're volatile," Loki replied. "And you touch me like I'm breakable."

"You are breakable."

Loki opened his mouth, about to protest. But he paused and inclined his head. He said, "You have guests."

Tony can see a visible change in blue-green eyes and his heart felt as if it had been dropped from a ten story building. It's the fall that kills. He has to watch as tension bled back into Loki's shoulders and his jaw tightens. But before he can say anything, the god kissed him again, hands on hips to guide him back until Tony's back touched the wall.

Loki leaned back to break the kiss, hands lingering on the sides of the other's face. "Do not doubt me, Stark," he said quietly. "I would not have him hurt you."

In the brief second that it takes for the meaning to take root, Tony's head is slammed back against the wall with a certain amount of controlled violence. Stars exploded into being before there was a sharp cut to black.

The god eased Stark's limp body to the ground before he runs. He ran as fast as he could, just trying to make it to the elevator. Fear turns in his chest as he felt a familiar presence creep closer and fill the air with a scent of blood and decay. He was just an arm length away from reaching the elevator doors when he was jerked back like a puppet by its strings. There was a sharp pain around his neck as he was dragged back on tiled floors until a boot heel comes to rest on his collarbone, bearing down until the bone breaks and a sharp cry escapes Loki's lips.

Thanos stares down at the trickster with eyes like lightning flashes and the tendrils of magic wound around the god's neck disappear. "You can imagine my disappointment when I found you in the care of the same Midgardians who defeated you."

Loki was tightlipped as he rose to his feet, nostrils flared. He trembled in the presence of the titan but he bared his teeth slightly and looked not unlike a cornered animal. Muscles tensed and hands clenched into fists, eyes take on an almost manic gleam. He knows better than to think a cry for help would yield anything but negative results. It hadn't occurred to him anyway; there was a surge of anger that had manifested into something feral.

A low, rumbling laugh echoed deep from within Thanos' large barrel chest. "They've kept you here a meek and helpless trophy," he said. "I've watched you ever since I came on the dark energy waves of the Asgardian queen. You've observed them, gained their trust, but now you will come with me."

"That would be insanity," Loki snarled. "You would do better to kill me here."

"You're still valuable. Besides, is there any who wants you as much as I?" When Thanos' hand went out, Loki flinched violently, pain running down his side as the broken bone was aggravated. But the titan merely tossed him a golden apple. "You've served your punishment now I want you to command an army."

"More lies," Loki snarled, clenching his hand tight around the apple. He didn't dare eat from it. There was less chance of torturous advances in his midgardian form.

Thanos paused with his hands clasped behind his back. "Have I ever lied, ever given you false promises or empty threats? I leave the lies to you so that you may live up to your namesake." He paused again and the very space of the room seemed to be filled with him. "Odin Allfather left you in those Asgardian dungeons without care, and when I took you, you were already half mad with starvation and ill treatment."

Loki shook his head and a growl started in the base of his throat. "No, I remember white walls and glass."

"A glass cage smeared with your blood. Because no one wants you as much as I. The throne of Jotunheim is yours by birth and when I rule these nine realms, I mean for you to be seated there." Thanos rested a heavy hand on Loki's good shoulder and ignored his flinch. "What is it that you think Odinson wants from you? How do you believe they would view you if you shed your Aesir skin? Play true to your nature, Laufeyson."

Loki stared at the golden apple with eyes like shards of bottle glass and lips press together in a tight line. "I would never sit on the throne of Jotunheim just to suit your needs."

Slivers of pain work through Loki's veins from the hand Thanos had on his shoulder. And he was hit with such intensity, the trickster fell to his knees and folded in upon himself as he trembled and cried out. Thanos reached for him again but in that moment Steve's shield came spinning across the room to catch the titan sharply on the chin so he took an involuntary step back away from Loki.

Then a multitude of things began to happen at once. There was there rapid fire of gunshots, the quiet inhale as a bow is being pulled back, a sword being drawn.

Tony came back to consciousness with a pounding sensation at the base of his skull. The sounds of gunfire and cries for strategic maneuvers sounded muffled in his ears. Though the world spun wildly, Stark jumped to his feet but had to lean against the doorframe as he takes in the scene playing out on his floor.

There was a large figure that Tony remembered the way people in strange photographs are remembered. He could recall a name being screamed in anger and pain, echoing off of craggy walls: Thanos. And Steve was trying to attack with his shield while Natasha has guns drawn and Thor was heaving a large battle ax from the museum collection floor. God, he had probably been keeping it by his bed. Sif was there as well, though slightly torn between helping a shattered Loki and protecting Thor. Tony had no such reservations. He took faltering steps toward the god, crawling on hands and knees when he got close to avoid bullets, arrows, and Steve trying to keep steady as kinetic energy and massive fists assaulted his shield . And for a second, Stark wondered where the doctor was, but he spotted him running toward them, sliding to a stop on his knees.

"Aren't you supposed to turn green?" Tony growled as he wraps an arm around Loki's torso and tries to drag him away, but there are pieces of his floor cutting into his knees and his hands. Banner's got a hand clenched around the collar of the billionaire's shirt and half dragged, half carried him and Loki to a semi-protected space behind Stark's couch.

Banner shook his head regretfully. "I—"

"I've told him not to," Loki murmured. He got up slowly to rest on his knees, the remains of an apple burning with green flames in the palm of his hand. The trickster's face was a mask of cold anger as he stared at Thanos. "Stark, you should have stayed where I left you." The air around them sharpens with cold as a red tint invades Loki's eyes. And he became drastically different. Not the same screaming god that came in his brother's arms and yet not quite the manic tyrant bent on ruling Earth. Loki's frame tensed and hardened, eyes sharpened to take on a manic edge. A feral grin cut across his face as his hand turned a rich blue, familiar scar patterns winding their way until they fade on pale skin halfway up his arm. A thick shard of ice formed in his scarred hand like a stake.

Tony knew the rage boiling over in the god, the almost blinding need for reprisal. But he can't say a word against it before he was dragged back by the collar of his shirt. Banner had a fistful of his friend's shirt and was dragging him away from the melee.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tony snapped and it only made the pounding of his head worse.

"He has a plan, Tony," Bruce replied in a voice a step away from shouting.

"His plan is going to get him killed." Tony tried to pull away but his head spun and Banner had a tight grip on his bicep.

Stark watched with slightly blurred vision as Loki slipped beneath Steve and the sword Sif swung. The god's pulled his lip back in a snarl and he drew back his hand to aim his stake of ice at the titan's heart.

Thanos grabbed Loki's arm before he could strike and there was a burst of kinetic energy that radiated from him that knocked the Avenger's and Sif off of their feet. But Loki only widened his feral grin. His free hand was encompassed in a black light that spread rapidly up his arm like a virus until they were both covered with it. Thanos scowled, and when he found he could not release his grip, he sent tendrils of pain working through Loki's veins. Thor called his brother's name again and reaches for him, only to be knocked back as the blackish hue of magic surrounding them pulsed and grew larger.

There was a steady string of curses running through Tony's mind, coming out slurred together on his tongue. A low moan escaped him as Loki and Thanos seem to fold in on themselves until they disappeared.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanos did not fear death and could easily meet it without the slightest hint of fear. But he refused to leave the land of the living by force, and not before he was ready. Loki closed his eyes, squeezed them shut so that he could not see a thing, his heart pounding hard and fast against his chest. He could feel the magic being disrupted by the titan, his plan to bury them straight in to the heart of a dying star collapsing. For whatever carefully crafted lies he told Banner about coming back, Loki would rather end his life with the certainty that Thanos was dead too.

The magic broke like electricity running through them both. They were thrown violently onto the rocky terrain of some planet hardly within the Nine Realms. Broken already, Loki bit his lip against a cry of pain and used his only good arm to drag himself across the ground, stopping short as a boot heel rested on the small of his back.

"My prince," Thanos said softly with a mocking tone. "Did you think you could escape life so easily, let alone drag me with you?"

Loki trembled, his breath coming hard as he rested his forehead on the rough ground. "It does not matter. I may not have been able to kill you, but what will you do now that we are stuck here?" He forced himself to look up at the titan, the man who had caused the most amount of pain in every way in such short amount of time. "I am nearly human, too fragile for you to hurt again. You have no apple for me now, and you've used most of your magic stop me from hurtling us into death. You're only option is to wait until your magic replenishes. I promise you, I will not wait for that moment." Red eyes hardened with resolution.

~

"He won't come back."

Frigga stood in Banner's lab, swaying slightly but she waved away the hand Thor offered her as he stepped closer.

"They tell me Loki had a plan," Thor said almost frantically through clenched teeth. "Where has he gone?"

"He won't come back," Frigga said again. She looks as though she might fly into a rage, anger building just below the surface. "Loki was to transport himself and Thanos to the edge of dying star. I was to use dark energy to bring him back, keeping a connection with the other half of the amulet." She held out Thor's broken necklace in the palm of her hand. "It would only fail if he wanted it to."

A gaping hole seemed to open in Tony's chest, a hollow ache. "You're telling me he didn't want to come back?"

Thor shook his head. "Something must have gone wrong. We may still get him back. All we need—"

"Dying star," Tony interrupted without a hint of emotion. "Black hole. We couldn't get to him fast enough."

They were pitched in to a moment of heavy silence. Thor's hands clenched, Tony's lay lifeless at his sides. The others watched him intently as if afraid he might disappear.

Stark took a breath that sounded as if he had forgotten to breathe and asked, "Is it finished?" His face was void of expression and he stared at Frigga as though she held the only answer that mattered. "It's finished right? He's dead."

Clint grabbed his arm suddenly and called his friend's name sharply as a reprimand.

Tony jerked his arm out of his grip. "That's what you're here for isn't it?" he snapped suddenly. Every bit of rage he had in him showed in the lines of his face. "We're here to make sure the world is safe—this world. We're just here to make sure that it doesn't get screwed up by things like Loki and Thanos. Tell me I'm wrong." The tone in his voice made it seem a threatening dare but his eyes were pleading.

Frigga watched him with a soft gaze that came with one who had seen too many acts of anger and hurt. "If anyone could survive it would be Loki." But the hands clenched over her stomach trembled and she looked as though she had trouble believing her own words.

Sif stood apart from them, sheathing her sword as she stared across the room and Thor. Her gaze travelled to Tony, to Frigga. A shiver suddenly ran down her spine and her blood ran cold. Her eyes went heavenward.

~

A sharp crack in the air and the the faint smell of decay brings Loki to look around sharply, watching the massive blade swing over his head. Thanos dodges and blood trickles down the side of his face. Resplendent in golden armor, Heimdall aims a thrust at the titan and drives him a precious few steps back from Loki.

The titan towered head and shoulders above the gods, but Heimdall's eyes were piercing and watched for the slightest movement. Thanos was a pugilist, just as capable of thinking as far ahead as Loki and just as fast as Heimdall. They both had centuries to master their skills, but Thanos had a tendency to dominate with brutality that Heimdall could not hope to match. Golden eyes flicked back to Loki and he knew that he could at least buy time.

Loki clenched his teeth and a rage built in his chest at his weakened state. With the broken necklace in hand, the god took a deep, steadying breath and sat with his legs folded neatly beneath him to focus with intense concentration.

Odin had limited his magic when he sent them to Earth, made it nearly impossible to find him in the nine realms. The amulet lent him enough magic to get them there, but he needed more for what he planned. Magic was left inside of him, the type that grew as he learned how to better control and subconsciously intertwined with his soul. Loki concentrated on finding it, on prying it apart from himself.

Thanos sensed the slightest shift in the air, electric blue eyes cutting across to Loki. It gave Heimdall the opportunity to aim his blade at the other's neck. The titan barely dodged the blow, a hairsbreadth away from near decapitation. He sneered slightly. "Move, gatekeeper," he ordered with voice so low as to almost be a growl. "You will not win."

Heimdall remained silent, tightening his grip on the handle of his sword. He knew his enemy, knew his skill and had compared in with his own. Feet planted firmly, the god was determined not to give any ground.

Loki shoved the sounds of battle to the back of his mind, refused to think of Thanos inching his way closer despite Heimdall's best defense. He breathed deeply and focused on digging every last bit of magic left in him, tearing it apart from his soul. And it felt as though his insides were being flayed but he kept at it. He traded the bits and pieces left of himself for the smallest bit of hope.

But the roar of rage and pain that escaped Heimdall cut through the trickster's heart and a violent shiver of fear ran down his spine. It gave him pause for a fraction of a second. Loki turned a quick glance to the battling pair to see that Thanos had the upper hand. Heimdall's dominant arm was bent at an awkward angle and the sword switched to his left. Though almost as skilled with his non-dominant hand, Heimdall was at a greater disadvantage. Even still, he kept himself as the only barrier between Loki and Thanos. It was suicidal and they all knew it. Thanos disarmed him in five moves, ripping the sword from his grip and delivering a kick to the other's knee to bring him to the ground with the soft crack of shattering bone. A disorienting right hook gives Thanos the opportunity to drive the blade in the vulnerable space between Heimdall's neck and armor. But he did not. Thanos stopped when Loki cried out in a plea, hands held up in surrender.

Heimdall spat blood as he stared almost passively at Thanos, the titan ignoring the open wound on the side of his face and the blood running down to stain his front. Thanos stepped away and looked at the god over his shoulder. "I will kill you when it is your life I care to take," he said with a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "For now, stay where you are, Asgardian." Heimdall clenched his teeth against the weight of magic that held him on his knees.

Loki trembled and lowered his gaze as Thanos closed the distance between them, squeezing his eyes shut as a hand wraps around his throat and hauls him to his feet.

"Same tricks, Princeling?" Thanos asked with a rumbling laugh. "In only a moment my magic will be enough to leave here. Who will you stand with? These Asgardians left you to fall? In all that time not one has searched for you. I did as I promised I would, given you an army that rivaled Asgard's."

"I do not stand with Asgard," Loki choked out. "You and I are of a rare kind, excelling in magic and manipulation. Asgard with its golden gates could not keep me if I wanted it." He squeezed his eyes shut and his hands rested on the other's wrist. Blue and purple skin reminding them that they were the outcasts of the people they had grown with. Thanos loosened his grip from around Loki's neck only slightly and his breath was less strained. "You offered me a golden apple."

"And you burned it."

"It would have done no good. Idunn's apples may work for Asgardians but I am Loki of Jotunheim. Odin masked my true nature, but my immortality is inherent and my magic intertwined with it. I need only concentrate to access it myself." A golden green-tinted light emanated from him, shining so brightly Thanos narrowed his gaze. Loki felt the hand convulse around his neck but he felt a bittersweet satisfaction in knowing that he could do no harm now. "I traded myself, my immortality to send your soul to Hel."

Thanos roared in anger, black light radiating from his palm in an attempt to fight back. He was overpowered and unable to defeat Loki in this. Loki encased his hand in magic and ice to drive it through the titan's breastplate and pierce his heart. As Loki's magic fades, so does the light from Thanos' eyes and his soul left in one last exhale. The titan was no more than a body and Loki collapsed beneath the weight of it bearing down on him. As he pulled himself from beneath the body, Heimdall painstakingly got to his feet and bore his weight on his good leg. Dragging the sword with him, Loki closed the distance and hefted it as though it were made of lead. The gatekeeper used it to lean on.

"You gave up your immortality and with it your magic," Heimdall said as he glanced at Thanos' body. "That could not have been an easy thing for you."

"There was nothing for it," Loki replied with an expressionless mask on his face. His eyes seemed void of life. "There is residual magic still here. I can return you to Asgard."

"And where will you go, my prince?"

Loki turned red eyes on the god. "I am no prince, Heimdall—not of Asgard nor Jotunheim."

"Not in inherent rank but in action." Heimdall paused as if listening and his gaze pierced through the sky. "Is there enough of your magic left to bring us to earth?"

Loki hesitantly reached out and Heimdall's hand rested on his arm, careful of his Jotun skin. The trickster inhaled slowly and reached for the magic that still hummed in the air.

~

"I'm not going to drown myself in bottle shots and ice cream," Tony growled from between clenched teeth. "Stop following me around like I'm an invalid." He blinked rapidly as he eyes well with tears and turns on his heel to bury himself in a pile of machine parts.

Banner shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "Can you blame me for being worried? I want to make sure you're…coping alright."

"Thor has his mother and I've got no one is what you're saying."

"Everyone else is here for you but I'm the only one you're letting in. Tony….Tony, stop burying yourself in parts for one second."

"You want me to cope," Tony snapped as he dropped the parts with a deafening clamor. "This is me coping. I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to 'let go', I don't want to meditate and think of rainbows and butterfly." The engineer stopped with a sharp inhale. "I wanted him to stay and he didn't and now he's… so just let me do this. Please."

Taking his bottom lip between his teeth, Bruce looked down and shook his head. "I will let you take apart the entire tower and put it back together if that's what you need. But, Tony, I don't want you to lock yourself down here. Take a minute before you bury yourself in work."

"I don't want to take a minute." Tony slid to the floor and roughly massaged the back of his neck as he stared at the ground. "The last thing he said to me while we were alone was that he didn't want Thanos to hurt me. And I feel like this is all my fault. Maybe if I tried harder, if I didn't push, if I wasn't…me then maybe—"

"It's not your fault," Bruce cut in. "Loki knew what he was doing. And he did something good without thinking of himself."

Tony shook his head. "He didn't have to die for it." When he looked up at his friend, his eyes were red-rimmed. "When he first got here, when I used magic to save him, I got a glimpse into his mind. It was feelings at first and…snapshots, you know? Then I started getting these dreams and they were things I'd never seen before—nightmares. But I could piece them together and it was before New York. And then afterward when he….I didn't tell him. I didn't want him to know that I saw everything because I saw what pushed him over the edge and he hated himself for it. I just wanted him to move on, get better."

As he spoke, Bruce moved to sit beside him, a foot of space between. "Don't put everything on yourself, Tony."

"Yeah, what do I know?" Tony gave a hollow laugh and sniffed.

"You were hel—" Bruce was cut off abruptly as the Tower alarm system went off.

Tony threw up a video feed from the security cameras without thought or hesitation, a wave of his hand and screens came to life. Another pass of his hand and he goes through until he gets to one highlighted in red. The camera showed Loki holding on to someone unfamiliar to Bruce and Tony, the golden armor stained in blood. But Thor and Sif had gone immediately to the other, supporting him as Frigga went to Loki.

Bruce turned to the other, mouth open as word came to his tongue. But Tony was already sprinting to the elevator doors, hitting them with an open palm when they didn't open fast enough. When they opened the engineer nearly threw himself inside, Bruce having barely enough time to slip in after him.

~

Loki clung to Heimdall, each one supporting the other. His heart choked and stuttered in his chest as the magic tried to find a place to anchor itself. With his immortality gone, it found none and burned its way through his veins. Loki's hand went over his heart as he struggled for breath, his head spinning, and his hand shot out to hold himself upright. Everything was too warm on his skin, too warm in his lungs. Heimdall's weight was eased off of him and hands go to either side of his face.

"Loki, look at me," Frigga's voice cut in through racing thoughts.

Loki struggled to focus and brought his gaze to meet his mother's. But in her stare he saw red eyes, blue skin and an intricate pattern of scars on his skin. He looked down but could not help but lean against her, too weak to keep himself upright. He shifted his head slightly. "Please, bring me outside," he whispered quickly as he saw Thor draw close.

Frigga cast a glance at Thor and nodded once before she encased them in magic to transport them to the roof. And as soon as they were outside, Loki breathed easier but sank to his knees and carefully folded his hands on his lap. He looked up, eyes tired and asked, "Are you still my mother?"

Frigga went to her knees and held his hands, magic flowing her palms to quell the uncontrolled magic running through him and use it to mend broken bones. And though fear and doubt entered Loki's mind, she was unharmed at his touch. "Yes," she replied simply, a small sad smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. A hand went up to brush fingertips along his cheek and his skin turned to an Aesir's, the air a little more biting.

Loki held her other hand a little more firmly. "What do I do now? I've given everything—my magic, my immortality. I'm no better than a Midgardian."

"Your value is not in how long you will live or how powerful you are."

"But what use am I? Am I to go back to Asgard to be imprisoned or stay here and be watched every second of life I have left?"

"Loki, I am only glad to have you safe. For everything you have gone through, do you really fear you will still be punished?"

He looked at her for a second. "Yes. I…I'm scared, despite my greatest fear being gone. What else is left for me?"

Frigga embraced him, held him tight but she could not speak before the door to the roof was thrown open and footsteps hurried toward them.

Loki looked up sharply to see Tony running toward them, skidding to a stop and falling on his knees with less than a foot to spare. His hands hovered over Loki as if he couldn't decide whether to touch and where. A thousand questions tumbled from his lips in an endless succession and so quickly Loki had trouble keeping sentences straight. Frigga released him and rose to take a step back, Tony unconsciously filling the space she left.

"Anthony, please," Loki said in a pleading breath that was heavy with exhaustion.

Tony stopped mid-sentence and carefully touched the other's hand. He took a calming breath. "Are you ok?"

"I'm not sure if I can answer that." Loki looked up at his mother and she left them alone with a nod. "I traded everything I had to send Thanos' soul to Hel and now I am no more a god than you are. There is no use for me and I do not need protecting any longer."

"You're not a thing," Tony replied as he held the other's hand firmly. "There doesn't need to be a use for you."

"If I stayed, what punishment will there be for me?"

Tony sat back on his heels and exhale slowly. "You think…? There is no punishment. I mean, SHIELD will probably keep you monitored but we're all kind of being watched. No one is going to hurt you."

"I would prefer to stay here then," Loki said quietly as he fixed his gaze on a point above Tony's shoulder. "If I wouldn't be an imposition."

Tony snorted. "You're not bothering anybody. Why do you want to stay?"

Loki shifted his gaze to meet Tony's eye. "I suppose because I am selfish. I want to be with you even though there is nothing I can offer."

"So, be selfish." Tony cracked a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I want you to stay, Loki. I don't care if you have magic or not."

"I suppose I'll have to tell Thor so he may go back to Asgard." A beat. "Heimdall deserves my thanks. Without him, I would not have made it."

"I'll buy him a penthouse suite in Miami. Do you think he'd go for that?" Tony kissed him suddenly, a chaste kiss and a hand resting on the back of his neck. "I'm glad you made it back, Lokes," he said in a grateful breath.


End file.
